The RICS AI standard explained: what surveying firms must do

A plain-English guide to the RICS professional standard on responsible use of AI in surveying practice (effective 9 March 2026): who it applies to, what it requires, and the records your firm needs to keep.

The RICS professional standard Responsible use of artificial intelligence in surveying practice took effect on 9 March 2026. It applies to RICS members and RICS-regulated firms in all jurisdictions, and it sets mandatory requirements — the language of the standard is “must”, not “should” — wherever AI has a material impact on the delivery of surveying services.

This page summarises what the standard asks a firm to do, in plain English. It is a summary for orientation, not a substitute for reading the standard itself, which is free to download from RICS. For a printable action list, see the compliance checklist.

Who the standard applies to

All RICS members and RICS-regulated firms, globally — including small firms and sole practitioners. If local legislation (for example the EU AI Act, Regulation 2024/1689) conflicts with the standard, the legislation takes precedence — but the standard requires firms to make a record of the conflict and report it to RICS.

Importantly, the standard is not limited to firms that think of themselves as “using AI”. Everyday tools — drafting assistants, meeting transcription, drawing OCR, photo enhancement — count when they materially affect how a service is delivered. See where AI already sits in quantity surveying work.

The key concept: material impact

Most obligations switch on when an AI system has a material impact on the delivery of a surveying service. Spell-checking an email is nobody's idea of material; AI-measured quantities feeding a cost plan a client relies on is a different conversation. When a firm determines that its use of AI will have a material impact, the standard requires a record of that determination and the reasoning behind it — covered in depth in how to make and record materiality decisions.

What the standard requires, section by section

• Baseline knowledge (section 2) — people using AI in surveying work must have at least a basic understanding of how AI systems work, their limitations and failure modes, the risks of erroneous output and bias, and data risks.
• Data governance (3.1) — policies covering the data that goes into and comes out of AI systems.
• System governance (3.2) — a written assessment of whether AI is the most appropriate tool for the task (considering alternatives, data risks, error and bias risk, and environmental and stakeholder impacts), plus a written register of AI systems with material impact: see the AI systems register. Firms must also implement responsible-use policies — see writing an AI use policy.
• Risk management (3.3) — a risk register for AI use, RAG-rated and reviewed at least quarterly.
• Procurement and due diligence (4.1) — written due diligence on suppliers before relying on an AI system, including recorded fitness-for-purpose testing.
• Outputs, reliance and assurance (4.2) — written reliability decisions on AI outputs, made by or under a named, appropriately qualified surveyor, with dip sampling for high-volume use.
• Terms of engagement and client communication (4.3) — tell clients in writing and in advance where use is material, and update engagement documents with the six required AI clauses.
• Explainability (4.4) — be able to provide, on request, written information about the AI systems used and the decisions behind them.
• Development of AI (5) — additional written records (including a sustainability impact assessment) for firms that develop AI systems rather than just use them.

The records a firm should be able to produce

Reading across the standard, a firm asked “show us how you use AI” would want to produce five things:

1. A written assessment that AI was an appropriate tool for the task (a periodically reviewed written policy or standing statement is acceptable).
2. An AI systems register — four fields, kept current.
3. Client notices: in writing, in advance, where use is material — plus updated terms of engagement.
4. Materiality determinations with the reasoning recorded.
5. A risk register reviewed at least quarterly, with due-diligence records behind it.

None of this requires special software — a disciplined set of spreadsheets and letters can do it. The failure mode is not the format; it is records that quietly go stale after the initial effort. If you want the registers, notices and audit trail generated and kept current from the decisions you record anyway, that is the job ComplyQS was built for — and here is how to evaluate software for this honestly.

Frequently asked questions

Is the RICS AI standard mandatory?

Yes. It is a professional standard, effective 9 March 2026, and RICS members and regulated firms must comply with it. Where legislation conflicts with it, legislation takes precedence — and the standard requires the conflict to be recorded and reported to RICS.

Does it apply to small firms and sole practitioners?

Yes — it applies to RICS members and RICS-regulated firms of every size. The effort scales with how materially AI affects your services, not with headcount.

Do we have to tell clients we use AI?

Where the use has a material impact on the service: yes, in writing and in advance, including what the AI will be used for. The standard also expects terms of engagement to cover when and where AI is involved, PI cover (if available), and the routes for a client to contest AI use, seek redress or opt out.

What counts as a material impact?

The standard's test is whether the AI use has a material impact on the delivery of the surveying service. In practice: output a client relies on (measurements, valuations, cost advice) points to material; back-office convenience (drafting, transcription that a human fully reviews) often points the other way. The firm makes the call — and records the reasoning.

Is a blanket AI ban an acceptable policy?

A ban does not remove the standard's expectations — and unofficial, invisible AI use tends to continue regardless. Most firms are better served by a written policy that governs use deliberately: assess, register, review, and notify clients where material.

This article is general information, not legal or professional advice. “RICS” refers to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. ComplyQS is not affiliated with or endorsed by RICS. Always work from the current published text of the standard.